GloryBee Provides Homes for New Seasons Newest Workers

Things are abuzz at New Seasons Market. Today, the activity was on the rooftop as the Portland-based grocer introduced colonies of honeybees to hives placed on the roof of its Happy Valley store.

Aware of the honeybeeâ€™s plight and decrease in populations, New Seasons Market wanted to be part of the solution by raising bees and educating customers. This social, well-ordered team of team of 50,000 workers will forage for nectar and pollen, and produce honey, which will eventually be available in stores.

â€œAs a kid, I grew up with bee boxes in my back yard, tending bees and harvesting honey, and many of New Seasonsâ€™ staff have worked on farms or their parents were farmers,â€ said Mark Feuerborn, manager of the Happy Valley New Seasons Market. â€œThe rapid decline of honeybees concerns us all, and itâ€™s a problem for our growers and local gardeners. We want to make sure our favorite foods can still make it to the table, and this gives us new way to support local growers.â€

This project is already a team effort: another example of how New Seasons works with local growers. The hives were donated by New Seasons Marketâ€™s longtime partner GloryBee, known for its continued dedication to educating and inspiring new beekeepers and as a supplier of high quality beekeeping equipment and supplies. Two nucleus hives, or small established colonies, came from local apiary Foothills Honey in Colton, Oregon and were installed by veteran beekeeper Damian Magista, owner of Bee Local. James Fitzpatrick, a New Seasons Market staff member who works at the Happy Valley storeâ€™s â€œSolutionsâ€ counter, is an amateur beekeeper and will work closely with Magista. Through this partnership, Fitzpatrick will earn his master beekeeper certification.

â€œBees are gaining popularity in populated areas, which is great because they generally do really well there,â€ said Magista. â€œItâ€™s really exciting to see a local business being proactive and making an impact on the honeybee community and the ecosystem.â€ Through daily observation and a bee-cam, the New Seasons team will watch the bee boxes closely and, assuming the colonies thrive, will install two additional hives at another store this spring.

Things are abuzz at New Seasons Market. Today, the activity was on the rooftop as the Portland-based grocerintroduced colonies of honeybees to hives placed on the roof of its Happy Valley store.

Aware of the honeybeeâ€™s plight and decrease in populations, New Seasons Market wanted to be part of the solution by raising bees and educating customers. This social, well-ordered team of team of 50,000 workers will forage for nectar and pollen, and produce honey, which will eventually be available in stores.

â€œAs a kid, I grew up with bee boxes in my back yard, tending bees and harvesting honey, and many of New Seasonsâ€™ staff have worked on farms or their parents were farmers,â€ said Mark Feuerborn, manager of the Happy Valley New Seasons Market. â€œThe rapid decline of honeybees concerns us all, and itâ€™s a problem for our growers and local gardeners. We want to make sure our favorite foods can still make it to the table, and this gives us new way to support local growers.â€

This project is already a team effort: another example of how New Seasons works with local growers. The hives were donated by New Seasons Marketâ€™s longtime partner GloryBee, known for its continued dedication to educating and inspiring new beekeepers and as a supplier of high quality beekeeping equipment and supplies. Two nucleus hives, or small established colonies, came from local apiary Foothills Honey in Colton, Oregon and were installed by veteran beekeeper Damian Magista, owner of Bee Local. James Fitzpatrick, a New Seasons Market staff member who works at the Happy Valley storeâ€™s â€œSolutionsâ€ counter, is an amateur beekeeper and will work closely with Magista. Through this partnership, Fitzpatrick will earn his master beekeeper certification.

â€œBees are gaining popularity in populated areas, which is great because they generally do really well there,â€ said Magista. â€œItâ€™s really exciting to see a local business being proactive and making an impact on the honeybee community and the ecosystem.â€ Through daily observation and a bee-cam, the New Seasons team will watch the bee boxes closely and, assuming the colonies thrive, will install two additional hives at another store this spring.